Vicki asks “How Many People Can Fit in a Boat?”
by Chris Riley Updated on August 8, 2019. In
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That’s a very good question, Vicki, because overloading a small boat is a very dangerous thing to do. Luckily, there are some federal regulations helping to protect you.
Boat builders must comply with Federal law by putting a Capacity Plate in sight of the helm (steering area) on motorized boats less than 20 feet in length. This plate displays three important items: the maximum weight of persons on board in pounds, the maximum carrying weight of the vessel in pounds and the maximum horsepower recommended for the boat.
If you own a boat that was built prior to the Federal law mandating capacity plates, or have a homemade boat, the following formulas can be used to determine safe loading capacity.
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Formulas for Safe Loading |
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| Horsepower Capacity for small, flat-bottom boats: Multiply boat length (ft) times transom width (ft) |
Person Capacity: Average weight per person is 150 lbs. |
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If answer is: |
Maximum HP is: |
(Boat length |
= |
| Note: for flat bottom, hard chine boats, with an answer of 52 or less, reduce one increment (e.g. 5 to 3) | Boat length and width are measured in feet. Round fractions down to next lower number. | ||
Remember that you need to keep everything in the boat balanced – this includes people, pets, coolers, etc.. Even if your boat has the capacilty to carry a few people and a few coolers filled with soda, you don’t want everyone sitting together on one side. You should also secure your gear, so it doesn’t all slide to one side if a boat passing you creates a wake or you become unbalanced for some reason.
Also, in a small boat, it is best to remain low and toward the center.
Categories: kids
